Sanders warns of coronavirus ‘meltdown’ on par with World War II
Sen. Bernie Sanders on Thursday offered a dark assessment of the coronavirus outbreak, warning that the nation is facing an unprecedented emergency on par with a world war.
“The crisis we face from the coronavirus is on a scale of a major war, and we must act accordingly,” he said. “The number of casualties may actually be even higher than what the armed forces experienced in World War II. In other words, we have a major, major crisis and we must act accordingly.”
In a speech from Burlington, Vt., the Democratic presidential candidate called for drastic action to combat the spread of the disease — from guaranteeing unemployment insurance and building emergency homeless shelters to enlisting medical residents and retired doctors to aid with the response effort.
Sanders spoke shortly after 2020 rival Joe Biden laid out his own detailed response that tried to draw contrast with President Donald Trump's isolationist approach. Like Biden, Sanders slammed the Trump administration as inept in the face of a global pandemic as he urged the formation of a bipartisan panel of health experts to lead the fight against the virus. But he primarily focused on the need to aid poor Americans who will be hit hardest by the “global economic meltdown” that he claimed is facing the nation.
“If there ever was a time in the modern history of our country when we are in this together, this is that moment,” he said. “We need to worry about those who are already sick, we need to worry about working families with children, people with disabilities, the homeless and all those who are vulnerable.”
The Vermont senator also pointed to the outbreak as further evidence for the need to pass "Medicare for All," lamenting that the U.S. is at a “severe disadvantage” compared to the rest of the developed world because it does not guarantee health care to everyone.
Sanders' coronavirus plan went further than Biden on some measures, including an immediate moratorium on all evictions and foreclosures, as well as the construction of new homeless shelters.
He also proposed guaranteed unemployment insurance for anyone who loses their job through no fault of their own — a concept that appeared more aggressive than Biden’s pitch to relax the current rules around unemployment benefits.
“During a crisis, we must make sure that we care for the communities most vulnerable to the health and economic pain that is coming,” Sanders said. “The coronavirus is already causing a global economic meltdown, which is impacting people throughout the world and in our own country — and it is especially dangerous for low-income and working-class families.”
The Trump campaign attacked Sanders' plan as the "wrong prescription" for fighting coronavirus.
"He’s just another Democrat candidate for president trying to score political points by recklessly provoking anxiety and fear," said Trump campaign spokesperson Tim Murtaugh.
